Alternative Academic Credit Options

Alternative Academic Credit Options

You may be able to earn a degree or certificate from RVCC sooner than you think. The College will work with you to make sure you get credit for courses taken at other colleges or universities. We’ll help you pursue other alternate credit options including: 

  • Credit from Non-academic Institutions
  • Credit from Professional Licensure
  • Credit by Examination

CLEP

CLEP (College Level Examination Program) offers 33 exams that allow you to accelerate your academic career by earning college credit through testing for a subject in which you may have gained knowledge as a result of experience. Study Guides are available at: www.collegeboard.org/clep

CLEP (College Level Examination Program) Registration Procedure
Set up an appointment at least two days in advance:

On the day of the appointment:

  • Bring one form of government issued ID: a current Driver's License, passport, state or Province ID, National ID, Tribal ID, naturalization card or certificate of citizenship, a Permanent Resident card or Military ID. All ID's must be current and contain name, photograph, and signature.
  • Pay $45 proctor fee by cash or check

 

CLEP Subject Exams

Score

Credit

Accounting, Financial

50

4 cr. Financial Accounting
Algebra, College

50

3 cr. Precalculus I
American Literature

50

3 cr. American Literature I or II
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

50

3 cr. 200 Level English Literature
Biology, General

50

8 cr. General Biology I & II
Business Law, Introductory

50

3 cr. Business Law I
Calculus w/Elementary Functions

50

4 cr. Calculus I
Chemistry, General

50

8 cr. General Chemistry I & II
College Composition

50

6 cr. English Composition I & II
Educational Psychology, Introduction to

50

3 cr. Educational Psychology
English Literature

50

3 cr. 200 Level English Literature
French Language, College Level4

59

3 - 6 cr. Intermediate French I & II
College Math

50

3 cr. Number Systems
German Language, College Level4

63

3 - 6 cr. Intermediate German I & II
History of the U.S. I: Early Colonizations-1877

50

3 cr. U.S. History: Beginnings to 1877
History of the U.S. II: 1865-Present

50

3 cr. U.S. History: 1877 to Present
Human Growth & Development

50

3 cr. Child Development OR Psychology elective
Humanities1

50

3 cr. Humanities elective
Information Systems & Computer App.5  

50

5 cr. Comp Concepts & Programming & JAVA Programming
Macroeconomics, Principles of

50

3 cr. Macroeconomics
Management, Principles of

50

3 cr. Principles of Management
Marketing, Principles of

50

3 cr. Principles of Marketing I
Microeconomics, Principles of

50

3 cr. Microeconomics
Natural Science1,2

50

6 cr. non-lab Science elective
Pre-calculus

50

6 cr. Precalculus I and II
Psychology, Introductory

50

3 cr. Introduction to Psychology
Social Sciences - History3

50

6 cr. General Education elective
Sociology, Introductory

50

3 cr. Introduction to Sociology
Spanish Language, College Level4  

63

3 - 6 cr. Intermediate Spanish I & II
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East-1648

50

3 cr. World Civilization I
Western Civilization II: 1648-Present

50

3 cr. World Civilization II


1. Limited to a maximum of 6 cr. of previous course work in the discipline.
2. For non-science/math majors only.
3. Limited to a maximum of 9 cr. of previous course work in the Social Sciences and/or History disciplines.
4. Departmental essay is required and will determine the number of credits awarded.
5. Must demonstrate knowledge of JAVA programming by Computer Science Dept. after minimum cut score is met.

Departmental Exam

A Departmental Exam is an option if you want to earn credit by assessment in a subject that is not available through CLEP or DSST/DANTES.  You should speak with an academic advisor to discuss options. You will be asked to complete the Departmental Exam Request Form that is available in Office of Advising & Counseling. After you request has been approved by Advising and Counseling, the form will be sent to the academic department for assignment to a faculty member. You will be contacted by the faculty member administering the test in order to schedule a mutually convenient time. At the time of testing, you are required to bring a photo ID and payment at the rate of $40 per credit attempted.

NYU Foreign Language Exam

The NYU Foreign Language Exam is available in over 50 languages, for both native and non-native speakers. You may contact Melanye Nunez at 908-526-1200 x8397 or via email at melayne.nunez@raritanval.edu to see which languages are available and to arrange a testing date. RVCC will award 6 credits for Intermediate I and II of foreign language upon confirmation that the student has scored an 11or 12 on the exam. Exam fees are $300 for a 12-point exam and $400 for a 16-point exam. Postage & handling is $20. Payment requires two separate money orders. RVCC charges a $45 proctoring fee payable on the day of testing.

Credit by Exam Policy

  • The College awards credit on the basis of a student having achieved a specified minimum score on certain nationally recognized standard examinations, or on examinations created by the College.
  • Specific examinations, the credit awarded, and the minimum scores required for the awarding of credit are determined by the faculty in the academic department responsible for the academic discipline or special program in which credit is to be awarded.
  • A student who has previously earned credit in a course may not receive credit by examination in a lower-level course in the same academic discipline.
  • Because a student may not attempt credit by examination in any course already part of the student's permanent academic record, a student who has registered for a course will not be eligible to earn credit by exam for that course unless officially withdrawn before the published last day to withdraw without course on record.
  • Credit by examination is not awarded until the student has been admitted into a specific degree or certificate program.
  • The College does not guarantee that alternative academic credits awarded by RVCC will be honored by another college or university to which an individual student might transfer.
  • Alternative Academic Credit is evaluated and awarded for individual students and for individual degree and certificate programs offered by RVCC.
  • The College accepts up to 45 semester credit hours in Alternative Academic Credit toward an Associate's degree (so a student must complete at least 15 credits through course work at RVCC) or 75 percent of the semester credit hours required for the completion of a Certificate program.
  • Alternative Academic Credit does not count as enrollment credit in any academic term for establishing full-time or part-time status.
  • Grades are not assigned for Alternative Academic Credit.
  • Alternative Academic Credit is not used in computing a student's grade point average.
  • If a student attempts credit by exam covering two semesters of course work, and the student has already completed the first semester of such course work, only half of the credit awarded by exam will be granted.
  • Students will receive notification of an award of credit from the Enrollment Services

Advanced Placement

If you took Advanced Placement courses in high school you may be eligible to receive RVCC credits depending on your score.

In order to get the RVCC equivelant course please submit you official AP Score Report.  The following AP exams are accepted by RVCC:

 

ExamScore RVCC Equivalent
ART
Art Drawing
Art 2D Design
3+
3+
ARTS 110- Basic Drawing I
ARTS 105- Two Dimensional Design
ART HISTORY
Art History3+
3+
ARTH 110- Art History I
ARTH 111- Art History II
Final award of credit will be determined by an essay (to be taken in the RVCC Testing Center).
COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Computer Science A
Computer Principles AP
4+
4+
CSIT 105- Foundations of Computer
CSIT 103 – Computer Concepts & Programming (must take an exam in Java)
ECONOMICS
ECON- MAC
ECON-MIC
4+
4+
ECON 101- Macroeconomics
ECON 102- Microeconomics
ENGLISH

English Lit/Comp

English Language

3+

3+

ENGL 111- English I
ENGL 112- English II
ENGL 111- English I
ENGL 112- English II
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Spanish

French, German & Italian

4 or 5

3
4 or 5

Conversation and Composition I
Conversation and Composition II
Conversation and Composition I
Conversation and Composition I
Conversation and Composition II
HISTORY
US History

World History
4 or 5

4 or 5
HIST 201- US History- Beginnings to 1877
HIST 202- US History- 1877 to Present
HIST 101- World Civilization I
HIST 102- World Civilization II
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Human Geography4 or 5GEOG 102- Cultural Geography
MATHEMATICS
Calculus AB
Calculus BC

Statistics
4+
4+

4+
MATH 151- Calculus I
MATH 151- Calculus I
MATH 152- Calculus II
MATH 110- Statistics I
MUSIC
Music Theory4 or 5MUSC 101- Fundamentals of Music
POLITICAL SCIENCE
US Government & Politics4+POLI 121- American Government & Politics
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology3+PSYC 103- Introduction to Psychology
SCIENCE
Biology

Chemistry

Environmental Science
Physics 1
Physics 2
Physics C (Mechanics)
Physics C (Elec. and Mag.)
4+

4+

4+
4+
4+
4+
4+
BIOL 101- General Biology I
BIOL 102- General Biology II
CHEM 103- General Chemistry I
CHEM 104- General Chemistry II
ENVI 101- Introduction to Environmental Studies
PHYS 101- General Physics I
PHYS 102- General Physics II
PHYS 150- Analytical Physics I
PHYS 151- Analytical Physics II

 

Prior Learning Assessment

Automotive Technology

Students who have one or more of the industry certifications listed below, as well as three or more years of experience working as an automotive technician in an automotive repair facility, are eligible to earn credit for the corresponding RVCC course(s).  In each case, the industry credential must be current, and for some courses, multiple industry certifications are required.  Contact Professor Sara Heller (sara.heller@raritanval.edu) for more information.

Industry CredentialRVCC Course
ASE Auto Maintenance & Light Repair (G1)
CCAR Safety Certification
Lift-it-Right Certification (ALI)
NC3 Hand Tool Safety Test
AUTC 101 Automotive Introduction, Fundamentals & Safety
ASE Electrical/Electronic Systems (A6)
NC3 Electrical Safety Test Certification
AUTC 104 Automotive Electrical Systems I
AUTC 204 Automotive Electrical Systems II
ASE Brakes (A5)
Procut Certification
AUTC 109 Brake Systems
ASE Automatic Transmission & Transaxle (A2)
ASE Manual Drive Train & Axles (A3)
AUTC 116 Automatic & Manual Transmission
ASE Engine Repair (A1)AUTC 201 Engine Systems & Emission Control I
AUTC 221 Engine Systems & Emission Control II
ASE Engine Performance (A8)
10-Hour OSHA Certification
AUTC 202 Engine Performance & Diagnosis I
AUTC 208 Engine Performance & Diagnosis II
ASE Heating & Air Conditioning (A7)
Mobile Air Conditioning Certification (MACS 609)
AUTC 205 Automotive Cooling & Climate Control Systems
ASE Suspension & Steering (A4)AUTC 210 Suspension & Steering Systems
ASE Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Specialist (L3)AUTC 220 Hybrid/Electric Vehicles

 

EMT Certification

Students who have received certification for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) can receive credit for FITN 129 First Aid & CPR. The student must show proof of their certification in order to be awarded credit. The original certificate must be presented to the office of Enrollment Services.

Computer Networking & Cybersecurity

Students who have one or more of the industry certifications listed below can attempt to earn credit for the corresponding RVCC course(s) by taking a hands-on skills-based assessment.  In each case, the industry credential must be current.  For the Cisco CCNA certificate, four separate skills-based assessments will be offered sequentially, giving the opportunity to earn credit for up to four courses.

Contact Professor Mutasem Awwad (mutasem.awwad@raritanval.edu) for more information or to schedule an assessment.

Industry CredentialRVCC Course
CompTIA A+NTWK 113 Desktop Computer Hardware & Software
CompTIA Network+NTWK 119 Networking Essentials
CompTIA Security+NTWK 229 Information Security Fundamentals
Microsoft AZ-800NTWK 250 Network Operating Systems & Cloud Computing
Cisco CCNA

NTWK 270 Introduction to Cisco Networking

NTWK 271 Routing & Switching Essentials

NTWK 272 Scaling Networks

NTWK 273 Connecting Networks

Cisco CyberOps AssociateNTWK 285 CyberOps Associate
EC Council CEHNTWK 290 Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing

 

Medical Assistant

Students who have a current American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT) certification are eligible to earn credit for the Phlebotomy Theory and Lab (MATC 116) course that is required in RVCC’s Medical Assistant Certificate program.  You will be required to demonstrate core skills before earning credit.  Contact Professor Janette Rodriguez (Janette.rodriguez@raritanval.edu) for more information or to schedule an assessment.

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Students who have completed some or all of RVCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Program and earned the corresponding National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) certificates are eligible to receive credit for the corresponding RVCC course(s).  Conventional Machining Operations II (EMET 152) and CNC Lathe (EMET 254) can be applied to RVCC’s Mechanical Engineering Technology AS degree program in place of Manufacturing Processes I (EMET 107) and Manufacturing Processes II (EMET 109).  Students will be given credit for the appropriate class(es) upon submission of their NIMS certificates to the RVCC Enrollment Services office.

RVCC Advanced Manufacturing Course

National Institute for Metal Working Skills (NIMS) Certificates

RVCC Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Course

MACH 110

250 Hours

NIMS Certificate 1: Measurement, Materials and Safety,

NIMS Certificate 2: Job Planning, Benchwork & Layout,

NIMS Certificate 7:  Drill Press Skills

OSHA-10 Safety Certification

EMET 151 Conventional Machining Operations I

 

MACH 120

300 Hours

 

MACH 130

300 Hours

 

NIMS Certificate 3: Milling 1

NIMS Certificate 4: Turning Operations: Turning Between Centers

NIMS Certificate 5: Turning Operation: Turning, Chucking Skills

NIMS Certificate 6: Grinding Skills

EMET 152 Conventional Machining Operations II

 

CNC 140

600 Hours (split evenly)

NIMS Certificate 9: CNC Milling: Programming Setup & Operations

NIMS Certificate 11: CNC Milling Operator

EMET 253 CNC Machining Center

 

NIMS Certificate 8: CNC Turning: Programming Setup & Operations

NIMS Certificate 10: CNC Turning: Operator

EMET 254 CNC Lathe

 

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